Archive for the ‘Baseball America’ Category

Big Day (Update: Or Not)

Friday, January 29th, 2010

The Prospect Handbook should arrive in the mail today from Baseball America. Very exciting.

As a refresher, here are the top ten Phillies prospects (pre Halladay deal) from Baseball America.

That’s Jason Heyward from the Braves on the cover (full size) with, from top to bottom on the right: Madison Baumgarner (Giants), Mike Moustakas (Royals), and Jarrod Parker (Diamondbacks).

10:43 am: The mail already came and no book. Maybe Monday.

Lakewood Athletics

Wednesday, January 20th, 2010

Two former BlueClaws, Michael Taylor (#2) and Adrian Cardenas (#9) have been ranked among the top ten Oakland Athletics prospects by Baseball America. Kind of like the Philadelphia Athletics re-incarnated.

Taylor, of course, was a BlueClaw in 2008, where he had probably the best half of any hitter in team history (.361/10/50). He finished 2008 with Clearwater (.329/9/38), began 2009 with Reading (.333/15/65) and finished it with Lehigh Valley (.282/5/19) before being sent to Toronto in the Roy Halladay trade. He was then immediately traded to Oakland for third base prospect Brett Wallace.

He turned 24 in December and has a chance to win an Opening Day roster spot with the Athletics, perhaps as their everyday leftfielder. It’s rare that you see a guy cover four levels in two years, but that’s what Taylor did, and we wish him luck now that he has a clear path to the big leagues.

Cardenas was here in 2007, when, as a 19 year old second baseman, he hit .295/9/79 with the BlueClaws and made the Futures Game. A piano and guitar specialist, Cardenas hit .326 at Double-A Midland and .256 with Triple-A Sacramento.

Oakland got him in the Joe Blanton trade in 2008, and logically Cardenas will get a full shot at Triple-A in 2010. He just turned 22 in October.

Philadelphia Indians

Thursday, January 7th, 2010

Well not quite. Two former BlueClaws (and Phillies prospects), Jason Knapp and Carlos Carrasco, were ranked 6th and 7th respectively by Baseball America in their annual Indians prospect rankings.

Knapp and Carrasco went to Cleveland along with Lou Marson and Jason Donald in the deal that brought Cliff Lee to the Phillies back in July.

Knapp barely pitched for Lake County (in the SAL) after the trade (remember, he was on the DL with shoulder fatigue at the time of the trade) and the other three all switched dugouts in Lehigh Valley (when Columbus was in town). Carrasco and Marson played in the big leagues while Donald, stayed in AAA. He figures to be one of the former BlueClaws to make a big league debut in 2010.

An interesting question is where would Knapp and Carrasco have fit in among the Phillies prospects? Here is the Phillies prospect list, done before the Roy Halladay trade took #2, 3 and 4).

If I had to guess, Knapp would have been somewhere around 4 (either just ahead of or just behind Travis d’Arnaud), which would be 2 when you take out d’Arnaud, Michael Taylor and Kyle Drabek, who were traded. As for Carrasco, probably between 6 and 7 (Anthony Gose & Sebastian Valle).

(Photo: Waiting For Next Year…where by subheading is “when we won’t have a Cy Young winner to trade.” lol)

Today in BlueClaws History + a Look Back

Wednesday, January 6th, 2010

gavinfloydbaseballamericaJanuary 6, 2003…Gavin Floyd becomes the first current or former player to grace the cover of Baseball America.

Floyd, remember, was the “prospect star” on the 2002 BlueClaws team, not his now-more-well-known teammate Ryan Howard. He went 11-10 on the 2002 BlueClaws with a 2.77 ERA and 140 Ks in 166 innings pitched.

His presence on the cover in this issue was because Baseball America was unveiling their 2003 Phillies top ten prospect list, as follows:

  1. Floyd
  2. Chase Utley
  3. Marlon Byrd
  4. Taylor Buchholz
  5. Cole Hamels
  6. Ryan Madson
  7. Anderson Machado
  8. Ryan Howard
  9. Elizardo Ramirez
  10. Zach Segovia

Utley was drafted in 2000 and would have been an original BlueClaw, but because he was polished as a college player, he was one of the few guys to skip Lakewood and went straight to Clearwater in 2001.

Byrd and Madson were on Piedmont (in Kannapolis) in 2000, the year before the BlueClaws existed. With Brett Myers, they made the playoffs and Madson and Myers lost games two and three 1-0 to Delmarva in the first round under manager Greg Legg. Legger said last year that was the toughest playoff exit for him, 1-0 with two big leaguers in his rotation.

Buchholz was with Lakewood in 2001, and threw the first pitch in BlueClaws history.

Hamels went 6-1, 0.84 in 13 starts with Lakewood in 2003 before a promotion to Clearwater.

Howard didn’t really blow up as a prospect until he hit .304 with 23 home runs in the Florida State League in 2003.

Machado and Ramirez never played with Lakewood.

Phillies: Organization of the Year

Wednesday, December 9th, 2009

Baseball America has named the Phillies as their 2009 Organization of the Year. You can read the full article through their website here. But I wanted to share what I felt was the interesting part of Jim Salisbury’s story:

But it is widely believed, by everyone from Amaro to Manuel to Gillick, that the trade that ultimately put the team on a path to success was the one that sent Bobby Abreu, one of the most offensively gifted players in franchise history, to the Yankees in July 2006. The trade was part salary dump (the Phils saved $20 million), part investment in the Rollins-Utley-Howard core.

Gillick believed that Abreu had become complacent, and he feared other players were feeding off that.

“I think Jimmy and Chase were respectful, if that’s the word, of Bobby, and when he got out of here it set a different tone,” Gillick said.

Said Amaro: “That trade changed the mindset in the clubhouse. It gave people the opportunity to move forward. Also, you trade a player like that and the guys in the clubhouse look in the mirror and say, ‘Wow, they’ll trade anybody.’ ”

The Abreu trade opened a spot for Victorino in right field and gave the team some of the athleticism Manuel had wanted. It also opened an outfield spot that Gillick filled the following offseason with one of his best moves, the signing of free agent Jayson Werth. It was a classic take-a-shot Gillick move, as Werth had missed the 2006 season with a career-threatening wrist injury. In 2009, the Phils’ three starting outfielders, Victorino, Werth and Raul Ibanez, Amaro’s first free agent signing, all were all-stars.

This is really a great point, and not something you would immediately think of as a turning point, especially when the Phillies have not gotten any big league games from the players they brought back.

Q&A: John Manuel of Baseball America

Tuesday, November 10th, 2009

domonicbrown1We caught up with John Manuel of Baseball America earlier for a Q&A in regards to the top ten Phillies prospect rankings (click here) put out by BA on Monday. We thank John as always for his time.

Question: You had Brown atop the rankings last year. Obviously he had some competition for that top spot, but what did he do to maintain that ranking?

Answer: He very easily maintained that ranking. He hit, he ran the bases, he showed emerging power. He’s still raw and needs minor league time to improve his offensive consistency and his defensive skills, but his athleticism and big-time tools made this a fairly easy call, despite the quality of the other players in the system.

Q: Were people you talked to surprised at the way Kyle Drabek rebounded from his surgery?

A: Not really, because he flashed it last year in the Hawaii Winter Baseball stint, and he’s got such natural athleticism and competitiveness. He pitched well deep into the year, stayed healthy and threw strikes with quality stuff. Very encouraging year, and if he was your No. 1 prospect, you’d be satisfied.

michael-taylor1Q: He was in Lo-A 18 months ago, but he’s 24 now and can obviously hit. How close is Michael Taylor to the big leagues (considering he’s got a tough OF to crack)?

A: Just talked to Michael yesterday and he knows his situation (it was my pleasure to speak to him, quality young man). He’s probably ready to help in 2010 if they need him; heck, he would have been able to help in ‘09 if needed. But the Phils right now do not need him, so he can spend 2010 in Triple-A. He’s definitely trade bait, but he’s also a 24-year-old outfielder. Those don’t often have a ton of value.
Q: Strength of the system compared to 12 months ago considering they traded away four of last year’s top ten?
A: Still strong, and so strong at the top (stronger than it was last year because Brown has done it at higher levels and Drabek is healthy) that I think the system will move up our org rankings from 12 last year. Lots of very young, high-upside talent.
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Baseball America Phillies Top Ten

Monday, November 9th, 2009

dombrownBaseball America has released their top ten Phillies prospect list, and John Manuel has done a bang-up job. Pretty much saw it as we did (here). Click here for an overview with information on bonuses, top prospects of the decade, and a projected 2013 lineup. The list below…

Rank, position, name, club(s) in 2009, with LAK)

  • 01. OF Domonic Brown (CLE, REA, w/ LAK 2008)
  • 02. RHP Kyle Drabek (CLE, REA, w/ LAK 2007)
  • 03. OF Michael Taylor (REA, LHV, w/ LAK 2008)
  • 04. C Travis d’Arnaud (LAK, 2009)
  • 05. RHP Trevor May (LAK, 2009)
  • 06. OF Anthony Gose (LAK, 2009)
  • 07. C Sebastian Valle (WPT, LAK, 2009)
  • 08. RHP Jarred Cosart (GCL)
  • 09. LHP Antonio Bastardo (REA, LHV, PHI, w/ LAK 2007)
  • 10. OF Domingo Santana (GCL)

Quick thoughts…

  • Four of the top seven were members of the 2009 SAL Champion BlueClaws, and that doesn’t include All-Star 2B Harold Garcia, RHP Justin De Fratus, RHP BJ Rosenberg. No wonder the BlueClaws had a good year.
  • Cosart and Santana, especially Cosart, could be with Lakewood in 2010. Cosart was teh 4th ranked prospect in the GCL this year. Santana is just 17.
  • Interesting that they project Valle as the Phillies 2013 third baseman.
  • No real surprises here. I imagine Brody Colvin is in the top 12 or 13.

More notes on each of the top ten below the fold.

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Projecting the Top Ten

Sunday, November 8th, 2009

We’re going to take a shot at projecting the Phillies top ten prospects as ranked by Baseball America, who will unveil their Phillies rankings on Monday. First, a few quick notes on guys that were in the top ten last year that will not be there this year:

  • Four of the top ten (Jason Knapp, Carlos Carrasco, Lou Marson, Jason Donald) were traded to the Indians in the Cliff Lee deal in July. So obviously they’re out.
  • JA Happ was eligible as a prospect last year but is no longer eligible this year after going 12-4. He’s a front-runner for NL Rookie of the Year.
  • Last year: 1. Domonic Brown, 2. Carlos Carrasco, 3. Marson, 4. Donald, 5. Kyle Drabek, 6. Michael Taylor, 7. Travis d’Arnaud, 8. Zach Collier, 9. Happ, 10. Knapp, full top 30

So, who are the big movers this year?

  • Anthony Gose led all of MiLB in steals and was voted the most exciting prospect in the SAL at age 18 (until August 10th).
  • Trevor May was a 4th round pick last year who missed some time in the spring with a back injury. He allowed three earned runs in his last 37 innings with Lakewood and was virtually unhittable at the end of the sesason.
  • Sebastian Valle didn’t hit that well first go-around with Lakewood, but was 18, catching two days a week, and mostly DHing. When he went to Williamsport, he was outstanding.
  • BJ Rosenberg wasn’t even ranked in the top 30 last year but pitched to an ERA just north of 1 between Lakewood and Reading. One of the rare ones to double-jump and skip Hi-A.
  • See a trend? All were key factors on the 2009 SAL Championship BlueClaws club.
  • Also should mention Drabek, who was outstanding in his first year after Tommy John Surgery.

Other notes…

  • On a media/broadcaster survey done by the Reading Eagle, Brown, Taylor, and Drabek were 1-2-3 in some order on all ballots. It is impossible to forecast anyone else in the top three when the list comes out tomorrow.
  • This system was ranked 12th last year by Baseball America…should be higher this year (the top three are all arguably top 30 prospects). And that’s despite trading away four of their better prospects for Cliff Lee.

Onto the projections (this is how we think Baseball America will rank them)…

  1. Domonic Brown: missed some time with a finger injury this year, but hit about .285 between Clearwater and Reading at 21 (turned 22 on 9/3). He topped the list last year, no reason to think he won’t again this year.
  2. Kyle Drabek: Putting a premium on high level starting pitching. There are only so many potential aces in this game and they’re so valuable. Drabek produced at Clearwater and at Reading and will be 22 on Opening Day.
  3. Michael Taylor: Hard to believe he hit .227 in his rookie campaign with Williamsport (2007). All logic says that he will be in the big leagues at some point in 2010 after hitting 20 home runs between Reading and Lehigh Valley.
  4. Travis d’Arnaud: Just 20, he didn’t let a .200 first half get to him, had 29 doubles in the second half and got stronger as the year went on playing a demanding position. Trade of Marson confirms him as catcher of the future in the organization and has power to all fields.
  5. Trevor May: Again, a premium on pitchers. Big, strong 6-5 righty will have to cut down on his walks but a lot of that was early in the year and he fanned 11 per nine at 19 in the Sally. Takes Knapp’s place as the system’s next big pitching prospect.
  6. Anthony Gose: 76 stolen bases speak for themselves. But I thought the best thing that anyone said about Gose was Dusty Wathan’s comment that after the game “You don’t know if he went 0-4 or 4-4.” He’s incredibly poised and already a great defensive player.
  7. Sebastian Valle: Might be a little bit of a stretch but realize his early struggles in Lakewood came when he was catching two days a week and primarily the DH. He hit .315 catching every day at Williamsport and just learned the position a few years ago. He’s 19 and will likely be Lakewood’s Opening Day catcher this year.
  8. Brody Colvin: Baseball America had him in their top 50 among draft picks last year. The Phillies took him in the 7th round and signed him away from LSU. I’ve never seen him. He’s only thrown one game as a pro. Have heard good things…Note that he’s here because I think Baseball America will put him here. Looking forward to possibly seeing him in Lakewood this season.
  9. Antonio Bastardo: 24 year old went 2-2, 1.75 with Reading, his primary spot, but was called up and to Philly and was on the playoff roster for all three rounds this year. Still a little green as he was with Lakewood in 2007, when he went 9-0.
  10. Yohan Flande: Lefty went 4-4 with Reading and his strikeouts dropped 7.4 - 6.4 from his time at Clearwater. But he made the Futures Game in his second year in this country. Is just 23. Still upside here.
  11. BJ Rosenberg: Bonus pick, was him or Flande. Rosenberg fanned 11 per nine w/ Lakewood and 7 per w/ Reading. But he was basically unhittable with the BlueClaws. Have to figure that he could be in AAA this year and in the bigs not too much after that. He’s 24.

There you go.